Mick McCarthy today insisted he's never had any problem with players diving at Wolves - but backed up suggestions that guilty parties should be punished retrospectively if guilty of "conning" referees.

The boss was quizzed at his pre-match press conference on one of the current hot footballing topics of the day, and was keen to stress that his squad always aim to play the game, "in a professional manner".

"We used to kick players properly in my day so when they went down it wasn't a dive," he joked.

"Serously though I think every incident is analysed so much closer now and far more in-depth than when I was playing.

"None of us like it when to happens to us and we all scream blue murder - I suppose it all depends on how we deal with it when we have a case.

"I have to say though I haven't got players who dive and can't remember when anyone has tried to do it.

"I've never had the cause to say to a player afterwards that they were out of order.

"We ask them to play the game in a professional manner, tackling the ball but not hurting people and not diving.

"And I remember George Friend at Sheffield Wednesday last season when he got clattered inside the penalty area.

"He stayed on his feet and staggered on and after the game the referee actually said if he'd gone down it would have been a penalty.

"In that respect he was being accused of being too honest!"

And, providing it can be proven beyond doubt, Mick does believe those who are guilty of diving who aren't punished by referees should be taken to task retrospectively.

"If a defender gets caught doing something then they get punished so it should be the same with diving," he added.

"It's conning and cheating and it's the one thing that really sticks in everybody's craw if it happens to you.

"If it's proved beyond doubt then players should be punished."